Secret Kisses
by displacedtexan
Summary: Irie Shiko arrives in Tokyo to intern with his uncle and manages to unearth some family secrets with the assistance of a former flower girl. Nineteen years after Counting Kisses.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own Itazura na kiss.**

 **A/N2: Yomiii21 wanted to know if the hinted romance between the ring bearer and flower girl worked out, and an unnamed Guest wanted to see Kotoko and Yuuki in the future. I hope this satisfies both requests.**

* * *

"A visitor for you, Irie-sama."

Yuuki looked away from his computer screen. Usually Arai would buzz him before opening the door, but he quickly understood the aberration. He stood quickly, "Shiko! You're here a week early!"

His nephew nodded to the secretary and strode past him. "I didn't bother waiting for my grades to post, and Dad said I could skip the graduation ceremony and get right over here."

"Well, that's great news!" The American Irie heir had zoomed through college and was spending the summer with Japan's Pandai firm as an intern after completing a second post-graduate degree.

"I might as well get a head start on becoming familiar with the videogame side of the business," he explained.

"Yes, since neither of my girls show any interest." Yuuki motioned him to a visitor's seat and joined him, leaving the President's chair empty. "When did you get in?"

"Yesterday afternoon. By the time I made it to the penthouse, I needed to crash. Sorry I didn't call."

"Not a bit! That's very understandable. But—the Oizumi apartments? Nonsense!" Yuuki grinned at him. "Are you trying to have me murdered?"

"Sir?"

"Kotoko and the twins will have my hide if you don't stay with us this summer. We rattle around the place, with your grandparents on that world cruise and," he cleared his throat, "Kotoko's dad passing last year."

Shiko nodded his head in sympathy. "But—"

"No, no, I won't accept any excuses!" He winked. "Shiori and Yumiko are hoping to show off their 'cool older cousin' to their classmates." He added in explanation, "Japanese schools are on a slightly different schedule than American ones."

"Ah, yes." He smiled. "That's one of the reasons that it was pretty much impossible for me to have a transfer year. Father did want me to have some Japanese background education…"

"Well, better late than never, plus it's on-the-job training. Is Onii-chan stepping down completely this autumn?"

"Not at all." He explained smoothly, "We have devised an organizational shift that will be complete in a few months due to attrition. We didn't want to let any loyal employees feel like they were being passed over to give me a position."

Yuuki pointed a finger at him. "Excellent policy. Not that I would have expected anything less from my big brother."

"So, where would you like me to start?" Shiko asked.

"All raring to go, aren't you?" Yuuki chuckled. "I hadn't made any plans yet, what with you not being expected quite so soon, so—"

The door opened again without ceremony, and a tall girl with purple-streaked hair glided in. "Uncle Yuuki, you are _really_ too much trouble."

The men turned and rose at her entrance. "What have I done now, Yuki-chan?" he asked with a smile.

Shiko was shocked when the newcomer only gave him a brief glance before reaching up to kiss the older man.

"You forgot your lunch again." She handed him a parcel.

"Yumi shouldn't bother since she still has to get ready for school," he chided his daughter in absentia.

"Try telling a teenager anything," she laughed.

He shook his head. "And I have two of them!" He took her arm and turned her towards his nephew. "Please let me introduce—or rather, re-introduce—you to my nephew. Irie Shiko, Takamiya Yuki."

He gave the girl a puzzled look as he held out a hand. "I'm sorry. Have we met before?"

Her smile widened. "You'd be more likely to remember than me. I was only three at the time."

Still at a loss, Shiko turned back to his uncle, who grinned in reply. "She was the flower girl at our wedding. You two livened up the ceremony and the reception."

Vague memories were resurrected of a flying basket and a pursuit that ended under cover of a tablecloth. His face reddened slightly. "Ah, I hope you won't hold my previous behavior against me."

She laughed. "I have no recollection of the event, due to a sugar coma, according to my mother. So rest assured, I'll only judge you on what I see from here on out." With that statement, she let her eyes travel from the top of his razor-cut hairstyle to the tips of his expensive leather shoes and back again. A wink showed that she liked what she saw before she turned back to the other man. "What's my assignment today?"

"Hmm." Yuuki moved to the other side of the desk and set down the bento. "You've finished the day for Kotoko?"

"You know it doesn't take long to deal with her schedule. I'm all yours."

"Yes, well—I know!" He smiled at the two young folk. "Why don't you give Shiko the grand tour? That will help him get oriented before I figure out a departmental rotation for him."

"Okay by me!" She placed hands in the pockets of her low-slung jeans skirt. "How about you, Slick?"

"Sure. And it's Shiko," he corrected her.

"I calls 'em as I sees 'em!" she countered with a grin and headed out the door.

After raising an eyebrow at his uncle, Shiko followed, eyes on her swaying hips. Yuuki snorted and resumed checking the latest sales figures, but not before opening the lunch to see what had been packed. "Good. It looks like her mother didn't help her," he said to himself.

* * *

"So, 'Uncle' Yuuki?" he asked as they walked through the executive suite.

"Mama and Aunt Kotoko were good friends back in school," she explained. "Actually, according to them, Uncle Yuuki was my first love."

"That would have been an unusual pairing," he commented. At her inquiring glance, he added, "Yuuki, Yuki."

"Right," she agreed. "Similar sounding, just different kanji. Here is the accounting department. Hi, Iwasaki," she called to a young man walking their way.

"Hello, Yuki!" he replied. "Are you with us today?"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm on tour duty, of all things. This is Irie Shiko, from Pandai New York. He's going to be interning for a couple of months."

"Really?" He grinned at Shiko. "You'll be learning from the best." He turned back to Yuki. "Let Irie-sama know that we could use you a couple afternoons this week, if you're not needed elsewhere."

"Will do," she nodded.

As they headed towards Human Relations, he asked, "Is the dress code very relaxed here?"

"Not particularly," she said. "Why?"

He made an up-and-down hand motion. "Your outfit…"

She looked down at the scoop-necked top and fringed vest over her skirt. "Oh. I thought you meant for the full-timers. R&D is pretty loose in restrictions, but otherwise it's business to business casual, dependent upon if you're meeting the public. I'm a part-time floater so I'm sort of a special case."

"Being close to the family doesn't hurt either," he muttered not quite softly enough.

Their progress screeched to a halt as she pivoted to face him, a frown on her face and steel in her voice. "Look, Slick, I'd dress up if it was required, but it's not. So don't think I'm pulling any favoritism here."

"Okay," he said, raising both hands. "I was mistaken. Sorry. And it's Shiko," he repeated with a bite in his tone.

* * *

The tour took a recess in the firm's cafeteria. Yuki scanned her employee card and paid for both their lunches. "We usually have a selection between Japanese and foreign food, as well as a salad bar," she explained. "The menu varies daily, with no particular pattern that I've noticed."

"How long have you worked here?" Shiko asked.

"Off and on for a couple years," she replied, opening the bottle of water. "I worked as one of Aunt Kotoko's tour guides for awhile until there was...a bit of trouble." She took a swig. "I help out in her office in the mornings then swing by here to see where I can pitch in."

"It probably gives them a little staff flexibility," he observed as he cracked apart the wooden chopsticks. "Mm, tasty," he said after a bite.

"That's right, your mother is some sort of gourmet cook, isn't she?" she asked absently.

"Why, yes, she is." He stared at her. "You appear to be well-informed about my family."

Yuki paused dramatically. "I think I just spoke out of turn. Can you forget I said anything?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "For the time being. I may follow-up at a later time."

"Redirect might be a little dicey." She slanted him a grin. "There's been a rash of amnesia cases going around Tokyo."

"Sounds like the slippery tongue of a lawyer," he joked.

"Doesn't it, though?" she replied with a mysterious smile. "About finished?"

"Yes." He stood and gathered their dishes. "I'll treat you next time. I'm sure part-timers don't make that much," he added.

"I won't turn you down," she admitted.

He paused at her phrasing. Was there an extra meaning to the sentence?

* * *

As they toured the beta-testing area, he asked, "Do you enjoy playing?"

"Enjoy? I wouldn't exactly call it that. Let me just say that I spent a lot of hours here with the twins testing out the kiddie games until they hit middle school and suddenly found their own interests. I can still play a mean game of Racquet Warrior, though."

"The twins!" He pulled out his phone. "Please excuse me for a moment. I have to arrange something." He gave orders to the major-domo at the apartment to pack his things back up and have them transported to Pandai. "Sorry about that," he apologized to Yuki. "Uncle insisted that I couldn't have the full experience unless I lived with the family."

She laughed. "If I see you tomorrow, let me know your impression of them."

"Oh, you might not be here?"

"I probably will, but I'm not sure where." She raised and lowered her eyebrows suggestively. "Would you miss me?"

For one of the first times in his life, Shiko was flustered into silence.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm home!" Yuuki called as he and Shiko entered the house.

"Welcome, Daddy!" came a voice from the kitchen. "We're having grilled fish for dinner!"

"Did you finish your homework, Yumi?" he asked as they parked Shiko's suitcases next to the living room couch.

"Ye-e-es!" she drawled out the answer. "Do you prefer any particular side dish tonight?"

"Come out of the kitchen and I'll tell you. Where's your sister?"

"Upstairs. Dad, she did it again!"

Yuuki sighed. "What did she bring home this time?" Shiko looked at his resigned face and wondered.

"A bird! And not a useful one like a chicken or duck that I could...cook." A teenager wearing a large apron exited the kitchen, and her voice trailed off when she noticed that her father was not alone.

"Are you tattling on me?" Clattering feet were heard descending the stairs. "It's a sparrow, for goodness' sake. It won't take up hardly any room and," she made the turn into the living room, "oh my god, it's Shiko-kun!" Her shout awakened her sister from her trance, and the two proceeded to squeal and hop up and down in tandem in front of their cousin.

"Welcome to what I call Pandai-monium!" Yuuki shouted over the noise. Shiko gave him a grin tinged with a bit of alarm before he began greeting the girls.

Things had barely settled down when the door opened again. "I'm home!" called Kotoko.

"Mom!" "Mother!" "Shiko-kun's here!" "Can he come to school with me tomorrow?" "No! I want him first!" "She's always the greedy one!"

Kotoko calmly walked through the melee, hugging each daughter in turn while making no promises, then stood before her nephew. "My!" she gasped, reaching one hand to his cheek. "It has been a while since we've seen you. You are the very image of your father." She turned to her husband. "Isn't he, Yuuki?"

"He made me pause for a moment when he walked into the office today."

"What!" Kotoko gasped and turned to him. "You didn't let us know you arrived?!"

"Sorry, Aunt Kotoko." He bent down to kiss her before he repeated the explanation from earlier. "But see," he indicated his two cases, "I _am_ moving in, as instructed."

The girls immediately latched onto a case each and offered to show him his room, chattering as they led him to the downstairs suite . "It was Jiisan's old room, but we turned it into a guest room." "Took out all the old-fashioned stuff, and Obaasan let us help her redecorate it!"

"How was business today?" Yuuki finally was able to approach his wife.

"It's starting to pick up with the American summer break approaching. _I_ might actually have to conduct a few tours if it continues."

"Don't overbook yourself." He leaned down for a quick kiss. "We should probably take some kind of trip once the girls get out of school in a couple months so they can show off their cousin to the world at large."

She chuckled. "That will make their summer! Let me change, and I'll be right down." She leaned up for another, slightly longer kiss. "Do you think I should help out with dinner since Yumi's involved with the new arrival?"

Yuuki shuddered with exaggeration. "Are you trying to poison him his first night here?" He laughed when she swatted him and headed up the stairs. He turned towards the guest room. "Yumiko! Your mother is threatening to make dinner if you don't hurry it up!"

"Ack!" She scurried out of the room. "Not tonight! Not with Shiko here! Shiko-kun," she turned to her cousin behind her, "do you have any favorite foods? I can make just about anything you'd like!"

Shiori followed them out. "She really can. Even I have to admit that she can cook amazingly."

"Then I look forward to dinner tonight." Shiko nodded at the shorter girl, the one who resembled Kotoko the most. "Could I be of assistance? I often helped Mother prepare meals."

"Really?" She looked at him in astonishment. "I didn't think Aunt Sahoko was that forward-thinking, to allow a male into her feminine domain."

 _Yet another comment about his mother_. "No, she allowed both Nami and me to try our luck. Alas, neither of us has her fine touch, but we can manage fairly well."

"Good! Then you're drafted. Roll up your sleeves and get to work."

* * *

His uncle kept Shiko busy for the next couple of weeks. He felt an undercurrent of frustration that the laughing girl of his first day had proved elusive since then. It irked him to the point that he asked Kotoko one night about her.

"Yuki-chan?" Kotoko nibbled on a leftover broccoli floret as she stirred the rest in a skillet. "She's been going in to Pandai every day after spending time organizing my tour rosters." She tilted her head. "Yuuki puts her to work in almost any department—she's that capable."

"Then why isn't she in school, or holding down a full-time job?" Shiko asked. "From what everyone says, she has a lot of potential—"

"Mother! Pay attention!" Yumiko snatched the spatula from Kotoko's hand and shoved her to the side. "You have the fire too high!" She turned to her cousin. "Yuki-chan can do anything! Even cook, unlike Mom here."

Kotoko made a childish face behind her back, resuming a normal expression when she noticed her nephew's stare. "Sorry, no one in this family wants me in the kitchen…"

"If you'd confine yourself to coffee, dear wife, we'd have no complaints." Yuuki walked in and bent her over in a dramatic kiss.

"Gross! Get a room!" Their daughter shooed them out.

"We have one upstairs," her father called back to her. "How long before dinner?"

"Stop that!" she yelled, then shook her head at Shiko. "Don't you hate it when the parental units do that in front of you?"

"Ah, sure," he answered hesitantly. He had never been in that particular situation with his parents. _Ever_ , he thought.

Yumiko brought it up again at the dinner table, and Shiori piped up in agreement. "Just because it's a simple hormonal urge doesn't mean that you shouldn't take note of your audience! Humans are supposed to be more evolved than animals, after all. Even Third has better manners!"

"That's because we reinforced the fence—again," Yuuki wryly pointed out. He turned to Shiko. "The first Chibi managed to be responsible for several crossbred litters before his passing. The one that's probably putting your foot to sleep is one of his grandchildren."

"Right. Dad talked a lot about him while I was growing up." He patted the head resting on his knee. "We don't have room for a large dog in the apartment, or he might've fought for him when we moved."

"He might have _tried_." Yuuki chuckled.

Kotoko made a face. " _ **I**_ would have let him go! Even in his dotage, he still liked to flatten me."

Yuuki took her hand and kissed the palm. "That's because he loved you as much as I do."

"Daddy!" the girls screeched in unison.

"Of course," he continued, "Chibi was in danger of being squashed by _you_ when you were eight months along with those two." He turned to Shiko and spread his hands. "She was this wi—" He broke off when Kotoko's fork stabbed the table near his elbow. "All right. Another subject, anyone?" he asked above his daughters' giggles.

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact," Kotoko said to her husband calmly, "Shiko was asking about Yuki-chan. He hasn't seen her for awhile."

"Really?" Yuuki raised an amused eyebrow. "I'll shoot you her schedule in an email tomorrow."

Shiko flushed. "No, that's not—"

"Yuuki!" Kotoko's voice was stern. "You have been working this child Monday through Friday every week plus half of Saturdays. Don't you think he deserves a day off?"

"If he wants one, all he has to do is ask," he mildly replied.

"Ah, no," Shiko tried to interject.

"I know!" Kotoko bounced in excitement. "Yuki-chan can take him on a tour of Tokyo! You've never really seen the city in your previous visits, have you?" she asked.

"No, not really. But I thought she said she no longer does tours."

Yuuki chuckled as Kotoko waved that away and explained, "That had nothing to do with her ability. It's just that she's so gorgeous some less respectable clients tried to hit on her, and I didn't want to put her in that position at her age. I can't screen them all out beforehand," she muttered, "but I sure can blacklist them after the fact."

"Not surprising they got the wrong idea, the way she dresses," he mumbled.

Shiori heard and quickly corrected him. "No, because Mom's workers have a distinctive but fairly modest uniform while they're guiding visitors. It makes them recognizable when folks wander off."

"I'm sure Kotoko won't insist that she wear it since this will be a family tour." Yuuki winked and grinned.

"It won't matter because—"

He was interrupted by Yumiko. "Hey, Dad, did you have a chance to look at the brochure for that culinary school I left on your desk?"

"Not yet," he took a bite, "but have you had a chance to look at your grade in French? You're going to have to do better than that if you think you'd be able to understand anything in Paris. Your grasp of that language is about as good as your mother's in English before I started tutoring her."

Shiko recalled that his Aunt Kotoko had spoken excellent, if slightly accented, English during the family's trip to the States a decade earlier. Before he could mention that fact, the other twin broke in.

"Just goes to show that I made a better choice," Shiori sniffed. "No one cares that much how you pronounce a dead language."

Yumiko stuck out her tongue. "Dead language, dead meat. If your rabbit escapes into my room one more time and chews up another shoe, the next meal I prepare will be hasenpfeffer."

"You heathen. You're just proving that cookery isn't as noble a profession…"

"Don't start on that subject tonight," Yuuki warned. "While going into animal medicine is honorable, remember that even veterinarians have to eat."

Abashed, the two ducked their heads and concentrated on their meals, still making faces across the table. Shiko looked from one to the other. _Quite a difference from home…_

"Although it _is_ interesting that Shiori is going into medicine, even though with animals, isn't it, Shiko?" Kotoko asked innocently. "Maybe that's because she takes after the Irie side of the family in looks." When he stared at her blankly, she added, "Your father's interest in the field?"

" _Dad_ wanted to be a doctor?" he asked.

"Oh!" Kotoko ducked her head and darted a glance at her husband, who smiled and patted her hand.

"Ancient history," he stated, which enlightened his nephew not at all. He then turned and teased, "I think it's more amazing that Yumi, who looks just like _you_ , not only can cook but excels at it!"

"So, it skipped a generation from Otousan to her," she riposted.

"Yeah," Yumiko added, her mouth full, "if I wasn't in the kitchen with Obaasan, I was in the back of Jiisan's restaurant."

"She can cook both traditional Japanese as well as western dishes," added Shiori. "I guess being a chef isn't so bad," she conceded grudgingly.

"You ought to admit that, as much as you eat!" Yumiko tried to toss a roll into her sister's mouth from across the table.

Shiko intercepted it. "I think both you girls are fantastic. Talented, even, but with such diverse interests."

They preened and behaved for the rest of the meal.


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks later, with Yuki beside him, Shiko looked at the city from the open air deck atop the Mori Tower. They had made several shorter outings, but this was the first full-day tour she had taken him on. He turned to face her and saw that her hand was trying to hold her short skirt from flying up with the breeze, with little success. He noticed, however, that she was wearing dance shorts underneath, so she must have expected it to happen.

"Do you feel any great pull towards your native land now?" she asked with a smile.

"Not really." He waved at the view. "I was born here, but I've been raised as an American."

"You still speak Japanese like a native, Slick," she noted.

Having decided that she just used the nickname to get a rise out of him, his only response to it now was an eyeroll. "That's because Mother spoke it all the time at home. Father would use English with us kids, and, of course, we went to American schools, so we're equally comfortable speaking both languages."

"So, do you have _any_ kind of accent?"

"Not that I've been told." Shiko grinned back at her. "Americans have quite a variety to choose from, and let's not even get into the other English-speaking countries."

"Just try Hokkaidan or Osakan," she jested in return. "Oh! We could go to Uncle Kin's place for dinner."

* * *

"Uncle Kin's place" turned out to be a lively traditional Japanese restaurant, with the lanky head chef loudly ordering about a number of young servers, several of whom bore him a striking resemblance albeit with lighter hair color. Shiko squinted at the attractive blonde woman who had waved a greeting before wiping down the bar area. "She looks somewhat familiar, but I can't quite…" He waved his hand to indicate mental cloudiness.

"You're probably thinking about her mother," Yuki said, taking a bite of squid. "Marie Robbins," she added.

"Ah! The sex symbol from several decades ago." Shiko stared as he chewed. "How did her daughter end up in Japan, of all places?"

"She ran away from an arranged marriage and somehow ended up falling hard for Uncle Kin. At the time, he was still crazy over Aunt Kotoko, who wouldn't look his way, so she suffered for a long time. But," she grinned, "Chris wore him down eventually."

"Everyone's so connected," he complained. "I feel like I'm in the middle of a videogame where I know only half the rules. Believe me," he groaned, "I've become well familiar with _that._ "

"Uncle Yuuki put you in beta testing last week, didn't he?" she hazarded.

He nodded. "I'm checking out the electronic side of Pandai from top to bottom, since we don't have one of those departments in our location. There's a large demand in the States for traditional toys these days, so we've concentrated on that specialty niche market and left the whiz-bang, up-to-the-minute stuff to the big names."

"Is there a possibility that the two Pandais will be combined again in the future?" she asked as she raised her glass for a refill.

"How did you know that?" he asked, then shook his head. "You are _wasted_ as a part-timer."

"Yo, Yuki-chan!" The owner made his noisy way to the table with a pitcher. "Bringing a new boy for me to check over, eh? Ack!" He backed away like a vampire sighting a crucifix made of silver and adorned with garlic. "Are my eyes deceiving me? Another Irie?!"

Shiko stood and bowed, extending his hand. "You have me at a disadvantage. Irie Shiko."

Kinnosuke shot a look in Yuki's direction. She confirmed his suspicion. "Uncle Naoki's son."

The chef wiped his hands on the dishcloth around his waist. "You're not a snooty, double-dealin', low-down heartbreaker, too, are ya?"

Shiko blinked. "Uh, no, sir."

"Okay!" A large hand shook Shiko's firmly. "I'll let it slide for now, but doncha go actin' like yer father with this one!" He pointed at Yuki, who turned her head to snort to the side. "Hey!" he protested, "I'm just lookin' out for ya with yer folks gone!" At a call from the kitchen, he hollered, "Holdjer horses, I'll be there in a sec!"

After his departure, Shiko pushed the admittedly delicious food around on the plate. "It's things like _that_ ," he indicated the swaying curtain that led to the employee area of the restaurant, "that make me feel like everyone else knows secrets about me and my family."

"Bothers you, does it?" Yuki was staring at the bottom of her glass.

"Yes," he tersely replied.

She twirled her chopsticks absently before asking, "What if I could answer your questions?"

He turned to her. "Can you?"

"If you're absolutely sure you want to know the answers."

"I do." He reached across the table and took her hand. "Tell me."

"Not here." She pointed to his plate. "Once you've finished playing with your food, why don't I show you a manga café?"

* * *

Shiko looked around the private room. "This isn't like one of those infamous 'Love Hotels', is it?"

Yuki snickered. "I won't say that it never happens, but that's not its intent."

"There's quite the collection out there. Do you read them?"

She shook her head. "I don't have time any more. Mom still has her collection stashed in a closet, as I expect does Aunt Kotoko. Classic shoujo, of course."

"Of course." He nodded then checked out the comfort of the couch, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No," she answered the unspoken question. "I'd rather stand for the time being, but _you_ should sit."

"That bad?" he asked, butterflies in his stomach as he followed her advice.

"It depends on what you already know," she temporized. "Describe your immediate family to me."

He looked surprised then turned thoughtful. "Mother and Father married young, after falling in love when Great-Grandfather's company invested in Pandai. We lived with Obaasan and Ojiisan until I was about one, then moved to New York with the expansion. Nami was born there, and we both grew up with an appreciation of our heritage while basically being American." He paused. "Mother is more determinedly Japanese than Dad and really enjoys the more formal manners."

"Okay," Yuki said when it was apparent that he was through talking, "what do you know about the Japanese Iries?"

"Well," he gave her a crooked smile, "my first real memory is at Aunt and Uncle's wedding. I remember it as being crazy and fun, and I suppose that's why I acted so out of character then."

She nodded at him. "About their 'love story', for lack of a better description, what have you heard?"

"Not much. I know they're wild about each other." Shiko chuckled, remembering various antics which he now took pretty much in stride. "I think she's a little older than him, but the families have been friends for decades. Am I right?" he added when Yuki frowned.

"To a certain extent." She let out a long sigh and sank onto the floor in front of the couch. "Okay, ask away."

He bent down. "Don't you want to sit up here with me?"

"No," she gave him a quick glance, "I have a feeling that you're not going to want me to see your face if you ask certain questions."

"Oh." He straightened. "All right. Let's start with the most recent occurrence. Why did 'Uncle Kin' call my father those names?"

She rested her head back on the sofa cushion and sighed loudly. "You really went for the heart of the matter, didn't you?"

"Did I? How does that relate to the other things? _You_ knew that Mother was a gourmet cook. My father has never said _anything_ about being interested in medicine. And sometimes there is this awkward silence after someone says something that makes no sense to me. What is it that everyone is trying _not_ to say?"

Hearing confusion, frustration, and even banked anger in his voice, Yuki turned and laid a hand on one of his knees. "Let me start off by saying that I don't know _any_ of this first hand. Mother and Aunt Jinko had a little too much to drink a couple years ago and spilled the beans. Of course," she smiled, "I asked a few leading questions while they were under the influence."

"You're stalling," he reminded her.

"Yes." She faced the opposite wall again. "Back when Mom, Jinko and Aunt Kotoko were in high school, there was this boy, the so-called 'Genius of Tonan'..."


	4. Chapter 4

After several minutes of silence, Yuki turned to see Shiko staring dead ahead—at nothing. "Shiko?" she asked. When she received no response, she added, "Slick?"

He blinked and looked down at her. "You've just rearranged my entire view of my family," he said woodenly.

"I warned you," she said softly, mostly to herself. Her fear of what the revelation could do to their budding relationship gnawed at her.

"That you did." He cleared his throat. "So my parents' marriage _wasn'_ t a grand love story…" His voice trailed off. "But I should have realized that from their interactions." At Yuki's inquiring glance, he added bitterly, "The stereotypical Japanese reserve was used handily as a façade that even fooled their children. There's none of the open display of affection like with Uncle Yuuki and Aunt Koto…" He trailed away again.

Yuki stood on her knees and grasped his forearms. "Remember that they are happy and crazy in love now. What was in the past _is_ in the past. It can't harm you."

He looked at her with overly bright eyes. "But it did hurt Aunt Kotoko a lot, didn't it?" She could only nod. "And for what? The _business_? Was it worth it?"

"I'm not the one you should ask," she replied.

"You're right," Shiko agreed. He turned his arms around and boosted her to sit beside him on the couch before leaning forward. "I need to have a frank talk with Dad."

"Not until you've had a chance to absorb it all," she warned.

"No," he said slowly, rubbing his eyes, "I'm enough like my father to want to wait and speak rationally."

"You're not that much like him." She shoved him with her shoulder. "Granted, you called a girl 'dumb' like he did, but you had the sense to realize the error of your ways."

He grinned over at her. "I did, didn't I? But I thought you couldn't remember."

" _That_ happened before the sugar coma," she laughed while winking at him, relieved that he did not appear to be the type to "shoot the messenger".

"So it did." He found that his eyes were focused on her lips, bare of artificial color yet still softly pink.

Yuki's breath shortened under his gaze. After only a brief hesitation, she smiled then leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his.

"Why?" he asked when they separated.

Her voice was sultry. "Weren't you curious about what kissing your 'first love' would be like?"

"Yes," he inhaled deeply, "but I think I was the 'kissee' instead of the 'kisser' there. Let's try it again."

* * *

Reclined together on the couch, Shiko stroked her hair, lifting the dyed strands and looking at the purple-tinged light through them. He sighed. "This place is nice and quiet. I'll have to remember it when the girls get too much for me."

She glanced up. "I thought you were used to them now."

"To a point," he admitted. "They're adorable...but so _intense_!"

"There may be only two, but the chaos _is_ more than doubled, isn't it?" she agreed, laughing. "Well, this is a pretty good hideaway. I'll keep your secret from them."

He looked at his watch. "I should be getting back to the house. I missed another madhouse meal, and I can only imagine what rumors the girls will come up with for my late return."

Yuki straightened. "Act innocently confused with any questions, and give them extra attention for a while."

"Is that how you distract them?" he asked. "I don't know what else I can do. I mean, I've picked them up at their schools—of course, they _have_ to go to separate ones—"

"Of course." she nodded, tongue in cheek.

"—and endured introductions to _way_ too many females of the 'jailbait' variety." He ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe a shopping trip?"

"One each should do it," she agreed cheerfully. "Be sure to stop in at a sweets café that's crawling with more teenagers on the way home—Shiori will probably prefer one with cats—and this encounter will be a thing of the past."

"But not for you, right?" He leaned in for a quick kiss. She blinked in surprise. "No, Yuki," he added, "I want to continue seeing you."

"Sure." She patted his cheek and smiled easily.

 _Maybe **too** easily_, he thought, but didn't pursue it.

* * *

Shiko took a week to think about it before he returned to the manga café and went into the rented room alone. He took out his phone and pressed a contact. After a few seconds, he said, "Dad? We need to talk."

After listening to his son's recitation of the decades-old tale, Naoki said briefly, "No words were said. No promises were broken."

He was not put off. "I don't doubt what you're saying, but words are not the only method of expressing emotion."

There was a lengthy silence. "At the time, it seemed the best possible solution. By accepting the offer, I could save your grandfather's company plus receive a loving wife."

"But did _you_ love Mother?"

"Feelings have a way of growing and changing. Just let me say that we share a deep affection for each other."

"Since you won't answer directly, I can surmise the answer."

"Whatever our feelings for each other—or rather, my feelings for her—nothing changes the fact that we both love our children with the extent of our beings. Don't minimize that."

"I'm not." Shiko tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch. "Knowing what you do now, would you do the same today? Choose security over feelings?"

"As God is my witness, son, I don't know." His father's voice almost broke. "I don't know."

"That's not much of an answer, Dad."

"The truth is all I can give you."

"Thanks, I think," Shiko said. "I'll talk with you later."

He leaned his head against the back of the couch and sighed.

* * *

"Yuuki, are you able to take off for about a week after school lets out?" Kotoko asked her husband as she applied her morning makeup.

"I believe so," he answered, flipping the end of his tie through the loop. "Why?"

"I thought I'd follow your suggestion about a trip and open up the summer house in Izu. We can take the girls and Shiko, and when they get tired of the mountains and fresh air, we'll pack them off to the beach."

" _If_ Shiori can find someone to take care of her menagerie." He leaned over and kissed her before the lipstick was applied. "Invite Yuki-chan as well."

"Yuki-chan?"

"He's not saying anything, but I think our nephew has been smitten a second time." He laughed as comprehension spread over her face. "Let's act in Mother's absence and try to 'help things along'."

"Well, in that case we'll make it the first week since she won't be here much longer."

"Right. I wonder if she's told _him_ that yet."

* * *

 **A/N: Get your minds out of the gutter! They just kissed and cuddled. (So far.)**


	5. Chapter 5

The trip to Izo was as chaotic as could be expected with the personalities involved. Shiko noticed that his easy-going uncle could be quite intimidating with teenaged boys who glanced in the direction of their party, not realizing that he was doing the same to men who did a double-take upon spying the miniskirt-clad Yuki at his side.

She leaned over, laughter in her voice, "He just started having to do that last year. They're too excited over the trip to catch on, but once they really start noticing boys…"

"He's going to have to up his game to keep them away." He himself flicked another glare at a persistent ogler and turned at Yuki's laugh. "What?"

* * *

As Yuki was filleting one of the fish that the family had caught earlier, Shiori asked, "Are you and Shiko-kun dating?"

She raised an eyebrow. "And how would that be any of _your_ business?"

"They are," Yumiko nodded emphatically. "She has on her 'lawyer face' and is avoiding the question."

The older girl flicked fish guts in her direction. "I inherited that expression from my father, thank you very much. And again, none of your business."

"That's okay, Yuki-chan," Shiori assured her. "We think of you as our cousin already."

"You guys are aggravating brats, do you know that?" she said with a sigh and amused smile.

* * *

Near the end of the week, Shiko and Yuki walked hand-in-hand on their by-now habitual nightly stroll. "This is a great getaway home," he said. "You can see the stars so clearly. We hardly even know they're there in New York."

"I've enjoyed it several times," she agreed. "One of your grandmother's more inspired purchases." They sat on a rock outcropping where the constellations could be observed with the background noise of small rapids in the nearby stream.

"It seems like we're a world away from Tokyo."

"Right," she laughed, "but the city and work will be calling us soon enough."

He put his arms around her. "Don't say that. I'd like for time to slow down to a crawl."

She moved to fit more comfortably next to him. "I believe we're on the same wavelength."

Their solitude remained unbroken for only a few more minutes. "Shiko-kun! Yuki-chan!"

Yuki pulled away, shaking her head. "The Terrible Two have found us."

"Damn!" he said, bending down for one more kiss. "I thought they were on _our_ side."

Playing Cupid, however, could not compete with the urge to share news. "We're going to the beach tomorrow!" they announced to the older pair and whoever else was within a kilometer of their location.

* * *

"Finished so quickly?" Shiko asked his uncle, who had just returned to the umbrella after showering off sea water.

"Those two teamed up and tried to drown me," he nodded toward his daughters, bobbing on the waves. "I think I'll remain in relative safety on the shore. Why don't you and Yuki-chan go in?"

Shiko turned to look at Yuki on a nearby lounger, eyes covered by large sunshades. _That was about the only thing covered_ , he thought disapprovingly. "I don't know that her suit is up to actually getting wet," he said.

She tipped the glasses and ran her tongue over her lower lip. "Actually, I'm wondering if _you're_ up to that challenge," she drawled.

"Oho!" Yuuki settled beside his wife, who was pretending to read a magazine instead of paying attention to the byplay. "I believe the ball's in your court, _Slick_ ," he teased.

Shiko shot his uncle a look of mild irritation. He had only cured Yuki of calling him that a couple weeks ago, and now his uncle was resurrecting the nickname. "I wouldn't want to desert you and Aunt Kotoko."

"Nonsense!" Yuuki reached across and took her hand. "We cherish the times we have away from our children when they're at their rowdiest!"

"In that case," he turned to the girl slowly rising to her feet, "shall we?"

She stretched once she stood, attracting stares from thirty meters away. "See if you can keep up," she said winking, right before she headed for the water at a dead run.

"Why—you!" He set off after her.

Kotoko slanted a glance at Yuuki. "I don't suppose you told him that you had helped coach her for competitive swimming in her teens."

He closed his eyes and grinned. "Let the kid find out for himself."

Shiko gained on the girl taunting him with laughter, determined to show her the skills he had learned on various Caribbean resort holidays. The excitement of the chase had made him unaware of the water temperature until he was almost completely submerged. The shock that only a few lower degrees could make almost stopped his heart. He broke the surface, gasping. "It's colder than I thought."

"Soft American," she scoffed, treading water a few meters away. "Your Japanese blood has thinned out over there."

He said nothing before disappearing under the surface. Expecting _something_ , she looked around for telltale bubbles. Just before she was about to duck under to check on him, he reappeared behind her, clasping her uncovered waist in his hands. At her gasp, he chuckled. "Miss me?"

She spun around and managed to contort her body and propel herself away by shoving at his abdomen with one foot. That movement sent his head under, but she refused to be fooled again. She took off parallel to the shore with strong strokes learned from extensive practice. Even so, it didn't take long for him to catch up to her and pull her under. Their lips met in salty solitude beneath the waves, and they only surfaced when she pounded his shoulder for air. They gasped to fill their lungs then laughed together. Yuki shoved wet hair out of her face and leaned near again, pulling back with regret when a mocking serenade began.

"Shiko and Yuki,

Swimming in the sea,

K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"You two!" They began splashing water at the girls, who retaliated until Yuki declared, "Stop acting jealous!"

"What?!" they protested.

"Just because your father stares down all the boys who get near you," she taunted. She ignored the girls' growls and said, "Come on, Shiko, let's get out of the _toddler_ wading pool!"

They had to hurry as best they could in the water, because the twins were not going to let _that_ insult ride.

After drying off, Yuki donned a wrap that matched her suit and asked, "Would you like to walk for a while? There's a nice view around the bend."

"Sure." He took her hand and they departed after informing the older couple of their destination.

"It seems that you were right," Kotoko admitted. "But does he know…?"

"I don't think so." Yuuki tapped his lower lip with an index finger then turned to smile at her. "We've done what we can. I think we ought to stop while we're ahead."

"That's not what your mother would do!" she laughingly reminded him.

* * *

"This is beautiful." Shiko looked eastward at the light clouds drifting above the horizon. He sighed. "My time in Japan is over halfway complete."

Yuki pulled her blowing hair behind her head and made a rough braid. "Are you accomplishing what you had planned?"

He smiled over at her. "Yes, plus I'm enjoying the family visit, exhausting as _some_ of the members are."

"Relatives can be that way," she agreed.

"How about you? We haven't spoken much," he gave a crooked smile, "beyond your mother's tendency to spill secrets when she overindulges. I should probably meet them."

"Ah," she looked away, "they're out of the country right now. Working on a project," she added.

"I believe your father's a lawyer. Your mother, also?"

"No. She had plans to work in the fashion industry but chose to stay home and raise me. I'm an 'only'," she grinned, "but very high maintenance."

"I can believe that!" She made a face at him, and, in retaliation, he leaned over and gave her a brief kiss. Shiko looked intensely into her eyes before he took a breath and went in for a lengthier one. After separating, they resumed their walk. His face took on a slightly troubled expression. "You still live with them?"

Yuki nodded and swung his hand, unconcerned. "It's easier that way." She paused as if thinking, but before she could speak, he broke in.

"Do you plan to remain in their house, doing various part-time jobs? How about school?"

"I'm taking a short break before going back."

"Trying to find yourself?" He let out a breath. "Is that fulfilling enough for you? It's just," he struggled for words and feared that he would not find the right ones, "you have so much _ability_."

"Thank you," she acknowledged, way too politely.

Not heeding her inflection, Shiko continued, "You work at Aunt Kotoko's as well as for Pandai, and everyone says nothing but praise about whatever you do. But spreading yourself around in so many directions—it makes you look as if you lack...ambition."

She tilted her face up. "Are you concerned for me or for how that would reflect on your image when you're with me?"

He shook his head. "I knew that wouldn't come out right. It's just that I see your potential—"

"And you believe that since I'm wasting it, that I'm also wasting your time. Well, I won't do so any further." She removed her hand from his and walked back the way they had come.

"Yuki, wait!" he cried out, but she refused to either turn or otherwise acknowledge his call.


	6. Chapter 6

Yuki did not speak to Shiko for the remainder of the visit, not even when the two of them were entreated to assist Shiori's argument in favor of keeping the baby squirrel she had found and kept hidden under her bed. She looked through him as if he was air, although he noticed that she made sure to avoid touching him; at least at those times he knew she _could_ see him.

Matters remained that way through the entire return trip to Tokyo. She finally spoke, giving him a chilly "Goodbye" after the train arrived in Tokyo. She rolled her bag behind her and flagged down a taxi for herself despite Kotoko assuring her that their car could drop her off. She and Yuuki shared worried glances at their nephew's frustrated expression but decided not to say anything—yet.

* * *

Kotoko called Yuki from work two days later. "I'm sorry for interrupting your packing," she apologized, "but where is the box of new lanyards for the tour members?"

"It should be on the top shelf of the second unit on the right in the back room," she replied, then warned, " _Don't_ get on a stepstool. Have someone else fetch it."

"Right, right," she grumbled. "Have you heard from your mother lately?"

"Yes, and they've found and leased a place for me," she replied. "She said that it's in a safe area and convenient to all the necessities, although the neighbors may leave something to be desired. I'm not sure what she meant by _that_ ," she added in a pensive tone.

"Well, you'll be able to see for yourself soon," she assured her.

Yuki laughed. "Right. Plus she's not too happy at me delaying my departure as long as I have."

Kotoko took a deep breath. "Are you ever going to speak to Shiko again? Not that I know anything about what went on between you…"

"Aunt," she sighed, "I think he's like his father in more than appearance, and I don't want to be in your position if history repeats itself."

"You know... _that_?" The silence on the other end of the phone answered Kotoko. "I've never seen that type of resemblance in him!" she averred. "And Irie-kun wasn't _bad,_ he just had a different set of values than I at the time."

"Well, Shiko has an image of me as a carefree girl that lives off her parents and part-time jobs, and that doesn't jibe with what he believes is a suitable partner for him."

"Then let him know the rest of the story," Kotoko urged. "He can only make a proper decision with all of the information." She gave a small laugh. "The past might have ended differently if his father had been a little more patient."

"What do you mean?"

"A random encounter in college brought Pandai a best-selling videogame idea a few months after his marriage," she told her. "The income from that alone could have tided the company over until the economy rebounded." She laughed softly. "We don't talk much about that any more."

"I should say not." Yuki was shocked at the until-now unknown story. "Do you ever—"

"No, no. I'm happy with the way things turned out. There's no use trying to second-guess the past, after all. So?"

She made her decision. "I'll tell him. Would it be okay to drop by this evening after I ship off the boxes?"

"Of course!" she assured her. "And I will make sure that he is there."

* * *

"Shiko?" Yuuki hesitated then decided to go at the topic from a side angle. "Is there a particular reason you've been overly serious the past few days?"

His nephew gave him a half smile. _He may be trying to be subtle, but I know what he's after. "_ About a month ago Yuki told me about Dad and Aunt Kotoko." _Damn!_ He hadn't planned to mention that.

"Oh," he replied after a moment. "We weren't trying to keep it from you deliberately."

"I understand that the subject would be a hard one to bring up." Shiko gave Yuuki a tight smile.

"Have you talked about it with Onii-chan?"

"I tried." He huffed out a breath. "He wouldn't discuss it and couldn't give me a straight answer to my most important question."

"Maybe there is no 'straight' answer," Yuuki suggested gently, "but _I'll_ do my best if you'd like to talk with me."

Shiko stood abruptly and paced around the office. "I'm torn," he finally admitted. "Mother has been 'oh-so-gently' making suggestions about marriage for the past two or three years—she even said she has a specific girl in mind during our last phone conversation—and I've always had this image in my head of what she'd be like."

"I doubt that yours matches Sahoko's," Yuuki muttered.

His nephew waved that comment away. "That doesn't matter. Even without another woman, I believe I'm facing a choice similar to the one Dad made, and I'm afraid that I'll make the same decision he did. I wonder if our side of the family is cursed?" he asked, almost to himself.

"No one's fate is set in stone," Yuuki assured him, "but I don't see the problem. If there's no one else, what's wrong with Yuki-chan? We're not exactly blind," he added drily when Shiko stared at him.

" _Wrong_? No, it's just that she has no direction in her life."

Yuuki sat up even straighter. "What makes you think that?"

"She's not interested in further education and hasn't settled down to a career, instead taking various part-time jobs—in businesses belonging to friends of her family, no less." Yuuki's eyes narrowed and he appeared about to say something until Shiko sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I just never thought that I'd be attracted to someone like that."

With a neutral tone his uncle asked, "May I try to summarize your situation?" After receiving a nod, he continued, "So, do you wait for your ideal woman, maybe meet the one your mother has in mind, or go with someone you have feelings for but does not have check marks in all the right boxes?"

"That about hits the nail on the head."

"When you talked with your father, was it about this _particular_ dilemma?"

"No, it was more in relation to how and why he made his choice back then, but he wasn't much help."

"Try him again and give him specifics. His answer may be somewhat different this time."

Shiko looked at his watch. "I should, but in New York it's…"

"Do it as soon as we get home this evening— _very_ early morning for him. And don't worry," he nodded at the slightly anxious look Shiko gave to the office door, "you won't run into _her_ before you're ready. She has the afternoon off for personal reasons."


	7. Chapter 7

Having locked his bedroom door and hanging out a "Do Not Disturb" sign to avoid teenaged interruptions, Shiko called New York. After ascertaining that his father was awake and also able to speak privately, he began his tale, using no names.

At the conclusion of what he considered a less well-organized narrative than he was accustomed to hearing from his son, Naoki said, "There is no need for you to make any sort of society marriage for either the company's or your mother's benefit. If you have found someone that you love that deeply, let her know and hold onto her for dear life."

After hanging up, Shiko sat, head bowed for several minutes. He rose with determination stamped on his face. "Uncle," he began when he found Yuuki in the study, "do you happen to know if Yuki's 'personal reasons' were in town or not?" At the raised eyebrow he added, "I need to speak to her, face-to-face."

"As it so happens," Yuuki chuckled, "your aunt says that she will be dropping by this evening—I believe, to speak with _you_. Ah!" he tilted his head at the door chime, "that may be her now."

"Thank you!" He rushed out of the room and grabbed Yuki's hand almost before she had replaced her shoes with slippers. "I need to talk with you," he said, staring intently at her.

"Yes," she agreed. "Me, as well. I have something to tell you."

"Right!" He looked around. His bedroom? Not with teenagers peeking from the kitchen. They would have their ears plastered to the door, perhaps even using a drinking glass as a primitive stethoscope. He opened the door to the back yard and shook his fist at the twins. "Stay inside, you hear?"

As soon as he and Yuki were outside, the two rushed up the stairs and into their grandparents' empty room, almost running over their mother.

"What—?" Kotoko asked the breeze of air in their wake. She turned and followed her daughters. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Shiko and Yuki may be making up in the back yard," said Yumiko.

"This window has the best view," Shiori claimed.

"That's right," Kotoko agreed, "but let them have privacy!"

"Aw, Mom! You want to see too, don't you?"

She only wavered an instant. "Yes, but this isn't right." Knowing that she was unable to drag the girls downstairs bodily, she retreated to locate her husband.

"Those brats!" he said. "They and Mother are three peas in a pod!" He thought for a moment then whistled for the dog, already settled under the table. "Here, Third!" He opened the front door. "Find Natasha!"

* * *

"Shiko, I've been keeping something from you—"

"Whatever it is can wait," he interrupted. "First, I need to apologize—"

"Sorry to interrupt." Yuuki opened the sliding door. "Third escaped again and headed in the direction of your house, Yuki-chan. Do you think you could change the venue of your discussion and help us out?"

Shiko had a frustrated expression, but Yuki hissed, "Let's go—otherwise he'll just sit at the gate and howl incessantly. I only live a kilometer and a half away and walked over here anyway."

They were out the door and down the street before Yuuki made it to the gate to shout after them, "Look at the sky!" He regarded the umbrella in his hand. "Oh, well," he shrugged, "they're young and healthy."

The girls scrambled down the stairs. "Where did they go?" "Daddy, did you tell them to leave?" "You spoiled everything!"

Arms akimbo, he stared at them sternly. "Don't you troublemakers have anything better to do? Like fix dinner?"

"Yes," Kotoko chimed in from the hall. "Of course, tonight I feel the urge to express myself in the kitchen…"

"Not that!" "We give up!"

The husband and wife gave each other a quick high five and a kiss. "Works every time!" Kotoko announced with a giggle.

* * *

"I didn't know you lived this close!" Shiko had to almost shout to be heard above the downpour that had hit them halfway to the Takamiya house. Sure enough, Chibi3 had been yowling outside the gate.

Yuki fumbled with the electronic keypad. "Why would you? We either met somewhere or left from the office."

"You never even let me walk you home!"

"So?" The door finally opened. "The next station is closer than the stop nearest the Irie house. Wait here," she instructed him as he held Third's collar in the genkan. She returned shortly with several large towels in her arms and one already over her shoulders. She handed him a couple and bent to rub down the dog. "Sneaky boy!" she chided him. "You just wanted to see Natasha, didn't you?" A female Borzoi arrived and began nuzzling both of them. "Behave!"

After patting himself down, Shiko advised, "Based on what I heard about his ancestor, you probably don't want to leave those two alone."

Yuki grinned up at him. "Been there, done that, got her spayed. Whatever they get up to is safe." She stood. "Get along now!" She shooed them towards the kitchen area, where they could shortly hear the sound of kibble being crunched in the room beyond. She turned to him. "If you'd like, I can get you one of Dad's robes and dry your clothes."

"No," he answered. "Enough with the distractions." He clasped her arms above the elbows. "I'm sorry about criticizing your life and ambition. Those are unimportant in the larger scheme of things."

"They sounded important to you earlier," she pointed out. "That's why I—"

"No, let me finish," he insisted. "I've come to care for you—to _love_ you—these past few months. I don't want to lose you over my stupid hangups about what is considered 'proper' in this world. Tell me that you feel the same."

Instead of answering him verbally she reached up and kissed him. As if a dam had been broken inside him, he clutched her to him and responded fervently. Her reaction was just as heated, and picture frames rattled as they reeled into a wall. They broke apart, gasping.

"Your bedroom?" he panted, eyes almost glowing in the dimness.

"This way." She took his hand and led him up the stairs. She made sure the door closed with a click to keep out any canine intruders.

* * *

"Well, that was a smooth move, getting them out of the house," Kotoko said to Yuuki as they did dishes together. Their daughters had abandoned them after the meal, noses still out of joint because their fun had been interrupted.

"I thought so," he replied. "And after our little chat—plus a conversation with his father—I don't believe we'll see Shiko for the rest of the night."

"Yuuki!" She opened her eyes wide in mock shock. "I thought we weren't going to interfere any more!"

"Really?" He placed soap bubbles on her nose and smiled as she sneezed and batted them away. "So how did _you_ know that Yuki-chan was coming over this evening?"

"Uh—ESP?"

He leaned down and kissed her, detergent-flavored lips notwithstanding. "You'll have to do better than that, dear wife."

She smiled seductively up at him. "I'll see what I can do. Since the girls aren't speaking to us, I suppose we could make it an early night..."

He looked at the remaining dishes. "Do you think these can wait until morning?"


	8. Chapter 8

Shiko rolled over and closed his eyes against the glare. _The sun wasn't supposed to come into his room from that direction, so what—?_ He suddenly remembered and sat straight up. "Yuki?" he asked as he looked around the room, absently taking note of an almost empty closet and half-filled bookshelves. He saw that his clothes were laid over the back of the chair at the desk and walked over and tugged on his trousers. As he picked up his shirt his eyes were caught by an itinerary in the tray of the computer printer. According to that paper, Yuki was leaving the country in two days…

"I thought I heard you up." She walked into the room carrying two cups of coffee. "As I recall, you like your coffee with—" she broke off when she saw what he was holding. "I was going to tell you last night."

"Going to tell me _what_?" Over a decade ago his attention had slipped during a taekwondo match and the result had been a painful kick to the abdomen; that hurt was nothing compared to the agony of this betrayal. "That you love me, and 'Oh, by the way, I'll be leaving so there's a time limit to our relationship'?" He slammed the sheet down on the desk. "I love you and want us to have a future together. Damn it, I believed it was mutual!" His voice broke with grief and anger.

Carefully she placed the cups on the dresser and folded her arms. "Did you happen to look at the destination, or are you just going to flip out randomly?" When he simply stared at her, she stalked over to him and picked up the paper and waved it in front of his face. "New York City," she enunciated slowly. In the back of his mind he noticed that she was speaking flawless English. "I'm starting classes at Columbia Law School in two weeks."

"Columbia—?" His face showed his confusion as his power of speech disappeared after the one word.

Upon seeing his condition, Yuki relaxed her mouth into a smile and set the paper down again. "I'm not especially sorry that you interrupted me last night, since I got to hear that your love overcame your reason. But actually, I was going to confess that, far from being a lackadaisical millennial, I graduated college in March and am following my father into his profession."

"You're going to be a lawyer?" He found it an effort to put words into complete sentences. She nodded. "Why the United States?"

"Well," she placed her arms around his neck, "I got tired of waiting for you to come back to Japan for me, so I decided to go get you myself."

"What?" He blinked at her.

"You don't think I was going to let you out of all those promises you made me nineteen years ago, now do you?"

Shiko slowly smiled. "I thought you didn't remember."

She stood on tiptoes and licked his lips teasingly before whispering, "I lied."

* * *

"Did you enjoy the play, dear?" Takamiya Ryo asked his wife.

Satomi frowned. "I could follow the action pretty well, but subtitles would have been handy."

He laughed. "Then we'll see it again when they perform it in Tokyo—in _Japanese_." He slid into the back seat of the taxi next to her. "It was our lucky day when Irie suggested we ask his brother about New York City housing."

"Yes," Satomi's grudge against Naoki had eased over the years, although he was still not her favorite person, "but I didn't know that the family owned the entire building."

"Plus have a vacant apartment. I feel relieved now that I know our little girl will be so close to people that we know."

"Mm-hm. I wonder what she will think of it."

* * *

Epilogue (Six months later):

Seated at her vanity, Irie Sahoko applied cream to her face in her nightly ritual. She spoke to her husband, who she could see in the mirror undressing behind her. "I knew that the Takamiya daughter would be a good match for our son. And he took to her so _quickly_."

Naoki chuckled. "Isn't it amazing?"

As with many instances over the years, she did not know what to make of that particular tone of voice. "Of course, now that Nami-chan is in London, it's so lonely here." She made a small pout. "Shiko-kun is always downstairs with Yuki-san."

He walked over and placed hands on her shoulders, bent down and spoke to her reflection. "You can't have it both ways."

Sahoko sighed. "You're right." She let out one of her light laughs. "And your mother prides herself so much on being a matchmaker. I believe I stole a march on her with this one!"

"That you did." He observed her closely. His son was going to be able to stay with the passionate love of his youth, and he was happy for him. But looking at Sahoko's classically beautiful, still lineless face, Naoki decided that life hadn't treated him too badly over the years. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Don't wait too long to come to bed."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this story that strayed WAY off the path of the original manga. For those of you who like all the loose ends tied up, here you go. Shiori falls for one of Kinnosuke's sons when her sister attends school in France; he woos her with his cooking, since she misses her sister's food so much. Yumiko caters a private concert at the de Grantaine mansion, and the son of the pianist falls for her immediately; with her hair tucked into her toque blanche, he originally mistakes her for a boy, which causes his Uncle Kyoya to comment that he is "definitely a chip off the old block(head)". While in England, Nami is invited to visit with the Robbins family; she ends up marrying the eldest son of Albert, Chris's former fiancé.


End file.
